Faith's frontline

The morale, spirit and patriotism of Ukrainians are bolstered by events like the National Prayer Breakfast, a much needed element in the darkest moments of history

- Mridula Ghosh

Faith and freedom, one may say, are mutually exclusive. The first presupposes a certain degree of unconditional acceptance and lack of questioning, the latter is the opposite. It honours critical thinking and choice. However, the notion of freedom emerges from the connection between the human will and supreme reality.

To this end, all religions in the world profess tolerance and respect towards each other, a fact reinforced during the National Prayer Breakfast held on August 25 in Kyiv under the patronage of the president of Ukraine. The meeting serves as a space for sincere dialogue on values, faith, freedom, responsibility and the power of collective prayer in the darkest moments of history.

This year, the event culminated in a global interfaith 24-hour prayer initiative beginning on Ukraine's independence day, August 24. Attending the prayer meeting, I felt that the entire world came together for Ukraine. Of the 1,200 participants, around 350 were international guests from over 50 countries.